The Cardiff Rift
by The Pygairian
Summary: The Doctor and Martha stop off in cardiff to refuel the Tardis, but find themselves in the middle of an investigation. Somehow, a man seems to have fallen from the rift, and he matches the description of the Doctor's second incarnation.
1. Hartnell

AN: Just an Idea I got a while ago. Thought I'd write it.

* * *

_"And now I'm going to kill you." __He said, as he shoved the Doctor against the console. His face, his hauntingly familiar face, only twisted into a slight smile. It chilled Ramon's bones._

_"No you don't!" The Scotsman gripped him from behind, suddenly._ _He fought back, and lunged at the console, flipping the first switch he touched._

_Suddenly, the room pitched violently, and amid cries of fear and surprise, he discovered he was slipping across the floor, toward the still open doors. He flailed for a hold but his fingers slipped on the smooth white floor. He cried out, but it was drown out in the sound of the struggling space time machine and the roaring vortex he so suddenly found himself in-..._

* * *

**_It burned... The energy coursed through his body, burning as if his very being, his soul, were cast into the sun. He was blind. The light was neverending. He was falling forever, through the hell-like prison into which he stumbled. And all he could do was scream until-..._**

* * *

_Harsh voices shouted from downstairs, saying things Ramon had heard a hundred times before. His mum and Brian were fighting. Again._

_He ducked down behind his bed, covering his ears with his hands. He thought about how happy mum had been before. Her smiling face when he had come home from school every day. Her gentle patience, and kind words. Just the two of them. Happy._

_Then she had started going out at night. She would come back... different. Happier, but more violent. And a smell lingered around her, a sharp, unpleasant smell. He soon learned to recognize it for what it was._

_Though his ears were covered, he could hear the shouting louder. He could pick out his own name in Brian's harsh english, while his mother responded in mixed spanish._

_They were arguing about him again-..._

* * *

**_His ears roared with a sound like a thousand waterfalls. His scream was lost. His pain and anguish never ending, going on and on, until finally-..._**

* * *

_"You can't do this to me! We were partners!" Giles Kent spat._

Ramon_ was sure his former colleague would have leaped at him, but for the guards restraining him.__"I'm afraid the research facility is no longer in need of your assistance, Kent." Ramon said, keeping all emotion out of his voice.__"But I trust you will remain in good standing with me and my men. You never know what may happen if you do not."_

_Giles fumed. "How dare you threaten me! It was my research that got you to where you are now!_ _you would be nothing without me!"_

_Ramon simply motioned for the guards to take him away. "You're a fraud and a lier, Kent."_

_Giles spat. "You'll regret this, Ramon. Don't think you can get away with it!"_

_The words meant nothing to him. He didn't _**_care. Now that Giles was out of the way, there was nothing to stop him from-..._**

* * *

**_The Doctor._**

**_The Doctor did this._**

**_The Doctor condemned him to this endless torment-..._**

* * *

_"Welcome to the TARDIS." His double stared back, his features frozen, and his eyes burning with a quiet rage, and wisdom beyond his years. Those eyes... they sent an awful chill down his spine._ _They seemed to be staring into his soul, seeing his every secret. Those eyes made him want to shrink back and beg for mercy. As apposed to earlier when they were kind and gentle, full of laughter, now they were dark and brooding, like a silent god passing judgement._

_Ramon__ smiled slightly, putting on his air of cool confidence, in spite of the overwhelming feeling washing over him._

_"Thank you. You were doing so well impersonating me, I thought I would return the compliment."_

_The Doctor stared back, his strange eyes narrowing, and becoming icy cold, sending a shiver down Ramon's spine._

_"We're going to put you outside, Salamander. No friends, no resources. Nothing. You'll run, but they'll catch up with you."_

_Ramon__ stared back coldly. Suddenly, he turned and leaped toward the controls, the Doctor shouting after him-..._

* * *

**_His mind was... is racked with memories. He felt like he was burning alive. He has no sense of the passage of time. He was racked with the torment of being aware of his every second of existence simultaneously, burning his mind out as if-..._**

* * *

_He caries his school books inside the house. He could see his mother sprawled on the couch again. The room reeked of alcohol, and there were empty bottles littering the carpet. She had been doing it again-..._

_...-"You're a a worthless bastard child!" He yelled, stumbling toward Ramon. He shook his beer can in his direction. "Worthless! You're bastard father only left your mother because you were born. She would be happy if it weren't for you-..."_

_"...-You're not worthy of anyone else! You're lucky I tolerate you!" Brian struck Ramon's mother across the face again. "I could leave any time I wanted. Then where would you be?!" He moved to strike her again._

_"No!" Ramon grasped his arm as tightly as he could. "Stop!"_

_Brian threw him on the ground, and suddenly Ramon felt stinging pain across his face. Brian lifted him up by the collar, and-..._

_"...-You must do well, Ramon. Do it for her. Become a scientist, like you always wanted to-..."_

_...-No! No, no, no, no... I'm not ready yet! you can't do this to me! No, no, no..._

_His head swam, and his body burned, as if the vortex were flowing in his vains. He felt his body go numb, and the gold overwhelm him. Everything that was him, his own was stripped away, like a snake slithering out of it's old skin. His face morphed and shifted, until suddenly he was a different man-..._

* * *

**_He saw faces. The Doctor. There were more. A white haired man. A man with unruly golden curls. A man with a ridiculously long scarf. A man with a bowtie. A man with a long brown coat-..._**

* * *

_"So, where to, Amy?" He raced around the console, flipping switches and pressing buttons. He looks up at the console moving up and down as the Tardis takes off. The red-haired girl smiled back and said-..._

_"Come on, Ace. We have work to do."_

_"Allons-y, Alonzo!"_

_"Change, my dear, and it seems not a moment too soon."_

"_We all have a universe of our own terrors to face."_

* * *

**_They were all the Doctor._**

* * *

"I have thirteen lives, Grace."

_"All I have to do is touch these strands together, and the Daleks will be destroyed. Do I have that right? To destroy a race? The universe could be better with the Daleks. Many planets will form alliances in fear of the Daleks._ _D__o I have the right?_

_"Doctor Mysterio."_

_"Bowties are cool!"_

_"Up there is the scanner, those are the doors, there is the chair. Sheer poetry, my boy. Now, please stop bothering me."_

* * *

**_He saw... he sees so many things. All of time and space. The whole universe._**

* * *

_"Would you like a jelly baby?"_

_"Just this once, everybody lives, Rose! Everybody lives!"_

_"It's French... for let's go."_

"_Why not? After all, that's how it all started."_

_"... unlimited rice pudding, etcetera, etcetera!"_

_"She's my carer. She cares so I don't have to."_

* * *

**_He can see anything. He could see everything._**

* * *

_"Am I a good man?"_

_"Someday, I shall come back. Yes, someday. Until then there must be no tears, no anxiety. Just go forward in all your beliefs, and prove to me that I'm not mistaken in mine..."_

_"I've reversed the polarity of the nutron flow."_

* * *

**_He was drawn to another portion of the vortex. And another. And another._**

* * *

_"It seems I'm some kind of a galactic yo-yo!" _

_"A man is the sum of his memories, a Time Lord even more so._

_"There are some corners of the universe that have bred the most terrible terrible things. Things that act against everything we believe in. They must be fought."_

* * *

**_It was terrifying. It is amazing. And everywhere he goes, he sees Him._**

**_The Doctor._**

* * *

**Cardiff, UK, 2018****, 2:37AM**

A cool breaze blowed in the gentle Welsh night. Somewhere in the distance, a dog barked, and a siren was heard.

A brilliant white light flashed from nowhere, seeming to split reality itself. Dazeling colors blazed forth, with brilliant blues, and golds.

A ragged figure was spewed out, being flung several yards.

The man connected with concrete. He laid, motionless, for a moment. Then the figure moved slightly, as if reaching for the rapidly closing crack. He struggled and strained, trying with all his might to drag himself back toward it

It seamlessly closed almost instantly, leaving the area as quiet and still as it had been.

The man reached toward where it had been, weakly, coughing and gasping. He took a ragged breath, and croaks a single word.

"_No_..."

* * *

AN: Let me know what you think so far! I took the liberty of rewriting this chapter. I hope you enjoy it! Also, sorry if I got any of the quotes wrong. I wrote most of them from memory. Let me know, and I'll fix it.


	2. Troughton

Hello there! Sorry for the long wait. I was just trying to get the plot in order. Here we are!

* * *

_Shouting. Chaos. Screams. Kent laughing just before pulling the leaver._

"...-possible internal injury. Heart beat is weak. Non-responsive to sedatives."

His body burned. There was a mask on his face. Someone was screaming. He vaguely realized it was his own voice. There were voices around him, frantically trying to calm him-...

_He stared at the lifeless body. The guard looked at him questioningly._

_"Oh. Suicide, of course." He casually brushed off the death. "Very sad."_

_Murder. He murdered the man..._

_Kent, Fedirin, Swann. How many others had he murdered?_

Someone spoke to him, reassuringly. He felt a sharp pain in his arm, and he faded out of consciousness.

* * *

"Just a quick stop in Cardiff to refuel, and then off to Clom!" The Doctor animatedly moved around the console, flipping leavers and pressing controls.

"Why Cardiff?" Martha Jones asked, smiling at his maniacal grin.

"There's a temporal rift there. It leaks out temporal energy and the Tardis picks it up." He explained, simply. The Tardis finished the landing sequence.

"That's strange. " The Doctor was looking at the monitor. "The Tardis is picking up temporal energy in massive amounts. It's almost as if the rift were... alive."

"Is that a bad thing?" Martha asked.

"Don't know. Could be. It's never done that before." His eyes narrowed. "What?!" he exclaimed, suddenly. "But... That's impossible! The Tardis is acting like... Well, like there's another Tardis nearby."

"But you said you had the last Tardis."

"Yes." He muttered, looking at the screen. "Let take a look outside. Allons-y!"

The Doctor dashed to the door, quickly grabbing his coat from the hook by the door and slipping it on.

Martha followed.

Outside, it looked like it was late morning. There were few people about.

The Doctor looked around, something catching his eye. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver, and began scanning the area.

"There are time traces..." He muttered, dashing off after the signal. Martha followed.

* * *

"There we are, Jamie! The great falls of Pannimarah!" The Doctor burst out of the door of the Tardis, happily. He stopped short, his face falling, when he saw the city alleyway outside.

"This doesn't look like a waterfall." Victoria frowned.

"Aye! This looks a wee bit more like a city." Jamie laughed. "Let's hope it's nae a Cyberman city, or some other alien beasties."

"It's hardly Cybermen, Jamie." The Doctor retorted, frowning as if his ego had been bruised. "Early twenty first century earth, I should think."

"Aye, It always is earth."

He brightened. "Well!" He clapped his hands together. "Now that we're here, we may as well look around."

He happily walked toward the street, his two young companions following. As they walked, the Doctor seemed to be more and more excited.

"Oh, this is perfectly splendid! We're in Wales!" He said, happily. "Look at the road signs! They're bilingual!"

"What's so special about that?" Victoria asked. To her, it looked as if each sign had a string of gibberish alongside each name.

"I can practice my Welsh!" The Doctor replied.

Jamie shook his head. "Oh no..."

The Doctor wandered off to the nearest local and began talking, leaving Jamie and Victoria where they were.

"Oh, he's going to make a fool of himself." Victoria worried allowed.

"Aye. And he willnae want tae leave."

The two chuckled together.

Jamie looked around at the street and people passing. "The Doctor gave me some money, and I saw a shop with food nae far away. Are ye hungry?" Jamie smiled.

"Famished." Victoria beamed back.

Jamie offered her his arm, and together they walked away.

* * *

"... in his eyes. He has a lot of minor lacerations and some bruising. Several fractures in his right wrist and hand, as well as a few fractured ribs. Possible concussion."

Ramon's ears were ringing. He could only just make out the words being said nearby. He slowly began to regain feeling in his body, first in his head, moving downward. His head was pounding like a jackhammer.

As the ringing in his ears lessened, he became aware of the beep, beep, beep, of a heart monitor. But it was erratic, not rhythmnic. He was painfully aware of the lack of a certain burning presence that he had grown so used to, yet loathed.

"He also seems to be suffering from a bad sunburn, with some more serious burns on his limbs, as well as hypothermia."

Ramon became aware that he was lying in a soft bed. He slowly regained his senses, and was met by searing pain. His body was raw as if someone had rubbed sandpaper all over him, and somehow inside as well.

A new voice spoke. "None of his symptoms add up."

The contact with the bed was painful, and even the pressure of the blanket on top of him was agony. He wanted to scream in pain but couldn't even find the strength to whisper.

"Yes, sir, we noticed that as well. It's very strange. Have you received any of the test results relating to why he was resistant to the sedatives? He seemed to be in some sort of pain."

Ramon searched his mind. His memories were muddled, and he couldn't remember

"No, nothing yet."

He struggled to open his eyes. Involuntarily, he gasped as his eyes were greeted by blinding gold light. He blinked several times, trying to clear his vision in vain.

"He's awake..."

"Oh my-..."

"Sir, can you hear me?" The first voice asked suddenly.

"How is he awake?" The other voice hissed, quietly.

Ramon focused on the voices, fighting the panic that was building. _I'm blind!_

He took a shaky breath. "Wh-..." he broke off into a string of coughs, making his insides once again feel like they were on fire. His throat was dry and grated, and his mouth tasted like dust. "Where... am...?"

"You're in a hospital, in Cardiff, Sir."

"Wh-... What... year...?" Ramon could not tell how long he had been in the vortex. It could have been only a second, or it could have been a thousand years.

There was a pause. "2018."

Ramon felt his heart jump to his mouth. How had they not recognized him? He was a wanted man, let alone a leader of several zones... He realized he couldn't know he hadn't already been found out.

"Sir, do you know what happened to you? Can you tell me your name?"

Well, that settled that. He gently shook his head, and then, with much difficulty, rasped, "...Ramon... S... Rivera... Ramon Rivera..." His mind was fading again, as weariness overcame him again, but he knew it likely wouldn't be a good idea to give himself away.

"Well, Mr Rivera, we'll do everything we can to help you. Tell me, how many fingers am I holding up?"

Ramon blinked, trying hard to keep awake, still only seeing blazing white light, with gold in his peripheral vision. He gently shook his head. "I... Lo siento... señor..."

He heard them talking together. His mind was fuzzy. That was the only word he could come up with to describe it. He picked out something about speaking spanish.

He felt one of the doctors return. "Don't be alarmed. Your sight should return soon. But now you should rest. There will be time for-..."

But Ramon was already asleep, before she could finish her sentence.

* * *

**UNIT Headquarters, London**

"Ma'am." The lieutenant saluted.

The Brigadier turned and relieved him. "What is it, Lieutenant?"

"Ma'am, there have been reports of temporal disturbances, at these coordinates." He handed her a report.

She skimmed through it, and sighed. "Lieutenant, we've known about the temporal rift in Cardiff for decades."

"Excuse me, Ma'am, but last night at exactly 02:37, it fluctuated much more violently than it ever has before. This morning, a man was found at the scene in quite a state. He was taken to the hospital in Cardiff."

The Brigadier began paying more attention. "Do we have a description of this man?"

"Yes, ma'am, it just came in. He matches the description of... well, _Him_."

The Brigadier stood. "I see. Do you have any more information?"

"Only that it seems to be his Second incarnation, the first to work with UNIT with the Cyberman invasion in the early seventies. He also woke, but only briefly. He wasn't able to give them any information, aside from a name. He called himself 'Ramon Rivera'."

The Brigadier nodded. "Lieutenant, prepare a vehicle and a party to accompany me to Cardiff."

"When, Ma'am?"

"Immediately."

"Yes, Ma'am." The young man hesitated. "Ma'am, there was more to the report."

"Yes, lieutenant?"

"His Tardis was located a few miles away."

"I see. Send a transport to bring it to headquarters. It would be disastrous should it fall into the wrong hands."

"Yes, Ma'am."

* * *

The Doctor looked up at the large hospital. "The time traces are coming from there." He muttered.

"Is there some sort of time traveling alien in the Hospital?" Martha asked.

"I don't know." The Doctor moved forward, toward the doors. Martha followed.

The lobby was quiet. The Doctor moved to the receptionist desk and flashed his psychic paper. "Doctor John Smith, and Doctor Martha Jones."

The receptionist nodded. "Another one of those Unit fellows." She muttered. "To the left is the lift, third floor, room 314."

The Doctor nodded, glancing at Martha. He followed her instructions.

"What do you think it is?" Martha asked, as soon as they were out of ear shot

The Doctor frowned. "I'm not sure yet. But if Unit is involved..." He stopped when the elevator opened, and he quickly walked out.

They continued down the hallway until they reached door 314. There were two soldiers outside.

"Excuse me, sir," One of the soldiers said, stopping him. "Your ID please."

The Doctor flashed his psychic paper, saying "Doctor John Smith, and Doctor Martha Jones."

The man's eyes widened, obviously recognising him suddenly. "It's... Its you. You're the Doctor. But... thats impossible!"

The Doctor smiled. "But here I am, in the flesh! Try to keep up."

"You can't be here, because you're in there, unconscious!" He motioned toward the door.

The Doctor frowned, and pushed past the guards, into the room.

There were several UNIT personnel inside. They all stopped what they were doing when they saw him. One, recognizable by her rank as the Brigadier, stood.

"Doctor..." She said, surprised. She quickly regained her professional air. "We weren't expecting you."

"Brigadier, whats going on here?"

* * *

Ramon woke again. This time, he was much more coherent and alert, and he thought to keep his breathing even and remain as if he were asleep. He was no longer in any substantial pain, with only minor aches throughout his body. His head no longer hurt, though he could tell it was sensitive and even something minor could trigger a bad headache.

He could hear the steady rhythmnic beeping of a heart monitor, and he was sure there was a nurse nearby.

He heard someone enter the room.

"UNIT is here, to see the patient. I told them your orders, that he can't be seen, but the Brigadier insists." The voice sounded English.

Ramon had a flash of memory hit him. UNIT. United Nations Intelligence Taskforce. He had seen them closely intertwined with _his_-... the Doctor's timeline.

One of the other occupants sighed. "Very well." He spoke with a thick Welsh accent. "Only one at a time though, and tell them to keep quiet. The patient is stable, but he is still in delicate health."

"Very well, Doctor." The nurse's footsteps echoed as she left.

Ramon almost flinched when he felt a hand on his wrist, checking his pulse. A stethoscope was gently pressed on his chest.

He did his best not to respond or react in any way. It seemed to fool the man as he pulled back, sighing.

The door opened again, this time someone with heavier boots walked in.

"How is he?"

"His heart beat is steady, but arrhythmnic. He's recovering from his injury at a remarkable rate. Its almost inhuman. We haven't gotten the blood tests back yet, but I suspect they will be non-conclusive to what may still be ailing him. It's like nothing we've ever seen."

"Yes. That's to be expected with the Doctor."

"What do you mean?"

Ramon's heart beat harder in his chest. He could hear the monitor beep slightly faster, and he did his best to calm himself. It would not do to reveal himself now. Luckily, they didn't seem to notice.

"Nevermind. Keep him comfortable, and let me know when he wakes. If anything happens, even the slightest change, let me know immediately."

"Yes, Ma'am."

The soldier, as Ramon guessed from the heavy boots, left the room. He thought for a moment. They thought he was the Doctor. That explained some things, but it also put him in a more difficult situation. He knew if he spoke, they would know. The Doctor was, in this incarnation, English. He supposed he could try to copy the accent. Either that, or he could use his condition as an excuse. Sooner or later, he would have to wake up, and then the volley of questions would come, which he couldn't answer just yet.

He felt a sudden itch in his throat, and he cursed his bad luck. He needed more time! Before he could stifle it, he coughed. His insides, still sensitive, clenched, and a splitting pain filled his head.

The doctor came to his side, checking him. "Mr. Rivera?"

Now, he supposed, was as good a time to wake as any. It was no longer feasible to continue the charade, especially considering the pain in his head, making him grimace in pain. He gently stirred, and blinked, in an attempted to appear as if he were only just waking. He was relieved to see a room come into focus instead of the blinding white, though he was still seeing traces of gold in his peripheral vision.

A man's face came into view. "Doctor... Rivera? Can you hear me?"

Ramon nodded, gingerly, and tried to say, with his best English accent, "W-... Water..."

The doctor- not THE Doctor, just A doctor, Ramon found himself reminding himself- moved away, and returned a moment later with a cool glass of water. He carefully helped Ramon sit up, and take a sip.

The water was cool and seemed to heal his parched throat.

"I'll return in a moment." The doctor said, leaving the room no doubt to tell the UNIT people of "the Doctor's" miraculous recovery.

Ramon waited until he was sure the man was gone, before sitting up straight and looking around. He shook his head, trying to clear his vision. He must still be suffering from side effects. He kept seeing gold streaks in his peripheral vision.

There was little in the room. He was sure there were security guards outside the door, and on closer inspection, he could see the window was not an option, as they were several stories up. He might have been able to climb down, but his right hand and wrist were in a cast; broken, as he recalled the doctor mentioning.

He quickly settled back in bed when he heard the doorknob turning.

They would likely ask questions, and when he didn't answer, they would grow suspicious. He needed to think of something, quickly.

The door opened, and the hospital Doctor entered, accompanied by a woman in a uniform. Her heavy boots gave her away as the woman who had been in the room earlier.

A younger man and a young woman came in behind her. Salamander looked at the man a little longer, blinking as the gold haze was coming back. It was strange. It almost seemed to center around him. He wore civilian clothing, including a long brown coat-...

Salamander nearly choked when he realized he recognized this man. He had seen him in the vortex.

The Doctor.

* * *


	3. Pertwee

The Doctor looked at the man in the bed, one of his previous incarnations. He had known what to expect, but still the sight of himself was a shock to his time sense. Except... something felt off this time.

The "Second" Doctor looked at the other Doctor, a strange expression on his face. Something seemed wrong in those crystally blue eyes, and his general mannerisms were off.

"Hello, Doctor." The Brigadier walked closer. "I am Brigadier Halston. How are you feeling?"

The Doctor, the second incarnation, cleared his throat. "M..." he struggled to say. "Much better, thank you." He said, calmly, his voice raspy, He coughed, gently. "...Water... please..."

One of the hospital Doctors retrieved his glass of water and handed it to him.

The second Doctor took it absently, taking a sip. "I'm... I'm afraid... my memory... what happened?"

"We were hoping you could tell us, Doctor." The Brigadier responded. "We found you near the space time rift here in Cardiff, two days ago. You were in very bad shape."

"Y-yes..."

The Tenth Doctor frowned. Alarms were going off on his head. He had positively no recollection of this, though, he supposed that wasn't terribly unusual. His younger self was acting strange, but he also had recently been through a harrowing experience; Something that had damaged his memory, and badly injured him.

It had been a long time since he had been his second life; Over five hundred years. His memory of events were fairly vague now, though he remembered key parts. He remembered all the people that had traveled with him, and facing the Cybermen and robot Yetis. He remembered meeting the Brigadier,_ His _Brigadier, for the first time. But other than that, not much else. He felt like something important happened that he should remember.

"Where are your companions?" Ten asked, slowly.

Two frowned. "I... Jamie... Victoria... I can't remember."

"What about your Tardis?"

The Second Doctor shook his head. "I'm terribly sorry... I can't seem to... remember much of anything."

"Very well." The Brigadier said. "Try to rest, Doctor. Don't strain to remember, but if you do remember anything, let us know. We'll be outside."

Two smiled slightly, but it looked forced.

Ten and Martha followed the Brigadier out of the room. As soon as the door shut, the Tenth Doctor quickly said, "I want to see his medical reports.

"Of course." The Brigadier handed him the file.

"Is anything wrong, Doctor?" Martha asked.

The Tenth Doctor shook his head. "I don't know. Something's off." He frowned as he read the medical report. "His symptoms are very similar to the theoretical side effects of prolonged exposure to the Time Vortex. Theoretical, because no one has survived before..."

He looked very confused. "None of this makes any sense." He motioned toward the file. "His life signs almost seem... human."

Martha frowned. "Could he have used the chameleon arch for some reason?" She asked.

The Doctor contemplated that. "Its possible, but it still doesn't add up. Half of his life signs show up as human, but the other half are most definitely _not _human. But they don't seem Time Lord either. Its like nothing I've ever seen."

* * *

Salamander let out a deep breath as they left the room. So far so good. It didn't look like they suspected him, but he couldn't be too sure. The accent had come much easier that he had expected, but he supposed that stress was a good teacher.

He laid back. He wouldn't be able to keep this up much longer. He knew that. Thank goodness he had remembered the names of the Doctor's friends.

He couldn't help but smile slightly at the thought that the Doctor didn't recognize himself, but it quickly fell again.

His body was still weak, and he could feel sleep creeping up on him, but he was sure that tomorrow, after a good night's sleep, he would be fit enough to get out of here. He had to be.

He shifted gently to a more comfortable position, and closed his eyes, but instead of sleep coming, his mind began to work.

It seemed to him that something about the vortex had changed him. He could feel it, something different, like a fire in his blood, and a presence in his mind. He still remembered the experience, and what he saw, but now the memories were almost locked away. He could access them, but it required effort.

Salamander opened his eyes, looking at the Nurse that was still in her room. The longer he did, the more the strange gold haze he saw shifted and formed into gentle golden strands, swirling and wrapping around her. Each was of a different length, and some were more vibrant than others.

Something in the back of his mind tickled, telling him that this was important and good, but he couldn't place what it was or why he felt that way.

He closed his eyes again. He must find a way out of here. Then he could take revenge on the Doctor for what he did to him. A part of him relished the thought, but as he fell asleep, he couldn't help noticing the small tickle in the back of his mind that felt uneasy about it.

* * *

"Och, Where d'ye suppose the Doctor got tae now?" He said to Victoria, before taking a bite of his sandwich.

Victoria shook her head. "I don't know. Probably off somewhere getting in trouble." She took a bite of her sandwich.

The two sat in a small cafe, not far from where the Tardis was parked. There were not many other tables occupied. The two of them sat near the large window looking out at the street, watching the people pass.

Jamie laughed at what she said. "Aye. He has a knack for findin' trouble."

They watched the street in silence for a moment.

"Jamie..." Victoria said, softly.

"Aye, Victoria?"

"Do you ever wish we could have more adventures like this? No running for our lives or being in danger, just peace and quiet?" Victoria didn't seem to be able to make eye contact, looking at her food.

Jamie smiled. "Aye, sometimes. But I like adventure. I would go mad if this were all we ever did."

Victoria looked slightly crestfallen, but Jamie didn't seem to notice. "Yes. I suppose so." She said.

They sat in silence again, Victoria looking down at her food again, and Jamie looking out the window.

Suddenly Jamie grasped her arm. "Look!" He hissed, pointing at something in the street.

"What is it?" Victoria couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, but she felt her heart pumping faster. Jamie had a much better sense of danger than her.

"There, by the Tardis!" He pointed at the alleyway where the Tardis was, and Victoria saw several uniformed people around it. They seemed to be trying to load it onto a truck bed.

"They're stealing the Tardis!" Jamie hissed. "Come on!" He was up in a flash, his sandwich forgotten. Victoria followed a little more slowly.

Outside, Jamie was about to charge over to them, and demand to know what they thought they were doing, but a hand stopped him. He turned, suddenly, only to see the Doctor with a finger to his lips.

The Doctor pulled Jamie and Victoria aside.

"They're taking the Tardis, Doctor!" Jamie sounded exasperated.

"Yes, It seems so." The Doctor looked thoughtful.

"Oh, what do we do?" Victoria asked, worry in her voice.

"We can't rush into things. For all we know, they might mean to do us harm. We'll have to follow them and try to figure out why they've taken it." The Doctor rested a hand on his chin, and, after a thoughtful moment, motioned for them to follow him.

The soldiers finished strapping the Tardis onto the back of the truck, and began boarding it.

"Och, Doctor, they'll leave and we'll never find it again!" Jamie folded his arms.

"Jamie," The Doctor looked thoughtful. "Do you remember Gatwick Airport?"

Jamie frowned, but then alarm spread on his face, as he remembered what had happened that fateful day. Aside from meeting Victoria, and the Tardis getting stolen, they had been captured by the Daleks. "Hey, ye don't think its the Daleks, do ye?"

The Doctor didn't reply, watching closely.

"The Truck says UNIT on the side." Victoria observed, but she seemed to be hiding panic. "Oh, Doctor, do you suppose it could be the Daleks?"

"I don't know. Judging by the soldiers and truck, I don't think so." The Doctor rested a hand on his chin. "UNIT... I've heard that name before..."

The Truck started up, and began driving off.

"Come along!" The Doctor started after the truck.

The three of them weaved their way through the crowd, apologizing and asking pardon as they shoved through the people, trying to follow the rapidly disappearing truck.

The Doctor looked back at his companions as if to say something, but before he could, he accidently stumbled into a man passing by. The man nearly tripped, grasping the Doctor to try and regain his balance. In the resulting struggle, the man slipped a small object into the Doctor's pocket, unnoticed.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry!" The Doctor brushed the man off and helped him steady himself. He smiled warmly. "That was terribly careless of me, I do apologise."

"No, no, not at all!" The man smiled, but Jamie suddenly felt a sick feeling. He observed the man closely.

The man wore a black suit, and he had a goatee. His hands were covered by black leather gloves, and there was a grey streak on his hair. On his face was a pair of glasses.

The Doctor looked at him a moment, clasping his hands together. "Do I know you?" he asked. "You look terribly familiar."

The man shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I'm sorry to have troubled you." The man quickly disappeared in the crowds.

"Och, we've lost the Tardis!" Jamie lamented.

"Oh no!" Victoria looked on the verge of tears. "Now we won't ever find it!"

She buried her face in the Doctor's shoulder, and he wrapped an arm around her, comfortingly.

"There, there, Victoria..."

"Now what'll we do?" Jamie said, exasperated.

The Doctor frowned. "It seems-..." He suddenly cut off as a blue light began swirling around him. He quickly let go of Victoria, stepping back.

"Doctor!" Victoria and Jamie said together.

Jamie moved forward. "Whats happening?" He asked, alarmed.

"Stay back, Jamie! Its a teleportation device of some k-..." The blue light engulfed him, and suddenly it and the Doctor blinked out of existence.

Jamie and Victoria stared. "Doctor!"

The two of them stared at the empty space for a moment.

"Where did he go?" Victoria panicked.

Jamie was speechless. None of the bystanders seemed to have noticed anything, continuing on their way.

"Doctor!" Jamie shouted, more in desperation and shock than in actually thinking it would do any good.

This was too much for Victoria. She couldn't hold back the tears any longer. "Oh, Jamie, what will we do?" She sobbed.

Jamie moved to her side, holding her gently, and somewhat awkwardly. It was usually the Doctor that did the comforting, and he was out of practice.

"Shh... Do nae cry, Victoria. It'll be alright." He held her close.

Victoria calmed somewhat. "Jamie, what do we do? We don't know where the Tardis is and the Doctor has disappeared. Jamie..." She looked at him, her brown eyes filled with tears. "Jamie, I'm afraid."

Jamie rubbed her arm with his hand, comfortingly. In all honesty, he was afraid too. They were lost in a time that wasn't their own, with no idea where the Doctor or the Tardis were. But he had to be strong for Victoria.

"I ken, Victoria, but we've got tae be strong for the Doctor and figure this out. We must nae lose hope." He thought for a moment. "I think first we should try tae find the Tardis." He pointed with his finger. "That's the last direction we saw the Tardis going. We might as well try that way first." He paused, and fished a handkerchief from his pocket, handing it to her.

Victoria accepted it, gratfully, and wiped away a tear. Then she clenched her jaw, trying to appear brave. "Alright... I'll try."

Jamie smiled at her, and took her hand. "Come on." The two of them moved forward, weaving their way through the crowd

* * *

The Doctor groaned as he came to. His head throbbed, and his eyes were heavy, but as he moved to put a hand on his forehead, he found his wrist stuck. His eyes flew open in alarm.

"Hello, Doctor. I'm glad to see you finally woke."

As the Doctor's eyes came into focus, he saw the man who had bumped into him in the street.

"Who..." He struggled to speak. "Who... are you? I've... been drugged..."

"Yes Doctor. We didn't want any trouble. Don't worry, you should recover quickly."

"I... I demand you release me... at once!" The Doctor struggled against his bonds, fruitlessly, regaining his strength quickly.

"Patience, my dear Doctor, patience." The man grinned sickeningly.

"You don't seem to have heard me." The Doctor glared. His captor was right. He was recovering remarkably quickly. "Who are you, and where am I?"

"Why, Doctor, don't you recognize me? You could say we were at school together." The man grinned.

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" The Doctor's eyes narrowed.

The man frowned. "Don't you remember?"

The Doctor's eyes narrowed. "No, I don't, but you're obviously a Time Lord." He looked around at the grey walls covered in circles. "And this is a Tardis!" His face turned bitter. "Come to turn me in to the High Council, have you?"

The Doctor's captor seemed agitated for a moment, but quickly recovered. "No, I am as much against the High Council as you are."

"A fellow renegade? How fasinating." The Doctor looked away, as if bored.

"I'm called the Master."

"A very humble name choice." The Doctor muttered, frowning. "Very well, _Master._" He said the name as though it were sour. "How did you find me?"

The Master smiled. "I had help from a friend."

"A friend? Who? What are you planning? If you want my help, I wouldn't count on it if I were you!"

"Oh, my dear Doctor, I'm not going to tell you our plans."

"Why not? If what you say is true, it should be impossible for me to escape!"

"Nevertheless, Doctor, if you do not know, you cannot tell. A simple precaution."

The Doctor turned his head at this new voice. It was strikingly familiar, but he couldn't place it. The man from which it came was shrouded in shadow.

"What do you want of me?" The Doctor demanded.

"Oh, we just need to keep you out of the way until our plan is in motion. You should accomplish that just nicely in this cell. We will leave him now, ay, Master? Let him stew."

The Master nodded, smiling. "Any efforts to escape would be in vain, Doctor."

The two of them began walking away, leaving the Doctor stuck as he was.

"You... You won't get away with this, whatever it is!" The Doctor shouted, in desperation, at the retreating figures. "You won't!"

"My dear Doctor, there is nothing you can do to stop us!" The Master laughed.

He heard the dull clang of a door closing, and the click of a lock. He tried the restraints, and found them just as solid as the Master had suggested. He stopped struggling, gasping in exasperation.

"Oh, crumpets..."

* * *

"Here, Doctor," Martha handed him a cup of tea. He accepted it, gratefully.

"Doctor, along with your earlier self's appearance, we have been experiencing several fluctuations in time, with side effects such as time loops and other temporal anomalies, and we have had several UNIT vehicles go missing in the Cardiff area over the last month."

The Doctor frowned, listening. "Hmm..."

The Brigadier handed him a file, and he quickly looked through it

A soldier entered the room, and saluted. "Ma'am, the transport has arrived with it's cargo."

"Good. Doctor," She turned toward him. "In light of your younger self showing up unexpectedly, I sent troops and a transport vehicle to find his Tardis and bring it here. They've just arrived."

The Doctor frowned. "My Tardis is in the city too."

"They picked this one up in Catheys."

"Hmm." The Doctor nodded. "Well, that's not where I parked. Let's go take a look. Allons-y!" He dashed out the door, Martha following after him.

Outside, The Doctor looked over the old battered Police Box.

"It looks a lot more beat up than yours. It seems smaller too." Martha commented.

"Yeah..." The Doctor touched the side of it fondly, running his fingers down it, before inserting his key and opening the door. He stepped inside, and Martha followed.

"You're so young..." The Doctor muttered, running a hand over the white console. "What did the nasty soldiers do to you?"

Martha looked around at the interior. The white circles, the white floor, and the colorless controls on the console. "It's... cleaner than yours."

The Doctor frowned. "Cleaner?"

"Yeah. It's very white, too." Martha seemed to find it fasinating. "Is this really the same Tardis?"

"Yeah, only about five hundred years younger." He gently stroked the console, smiling slightly at the hum in the back of his mind.

"Why'd you change it?"

"Oh, I thought I'd get a little color into my life, as soon as I could appreciate it."

"What do you mean, 'As soon as I could appreciate it'?" Martha asked, leaning on the console.

"My first two incarnations were monochromicly colorblind." The Doctor replied.

Martha frowned. "Really?"

"Yeah." The Doctor nodded. "Didn't take much notice until my third self saw color for the first time."

Suddenly, they heard shouting outside the Tardis.

The Doctor glanced at Martha, confused, but headed toward the door. Martha followed

Outside, some of the UNIT soldiers were restraining a young man wearing a kilt, of all things. A young girl was watching in surprise and alarm.

"Let me go, ye Sasanach!" The young man shouted. "Ye have nae the right tae keep me here! Fight me like a man, will ye!"

The Doctor's face lit up when he saw them. "Jamie! Victoria!"

* * *

"Oh, do let's take a break. My feet are killing me." Victoria sat on a public bench, rubbing her feet.

"Aye, alright. But only for a moment." Jamie sat down next to her. He had to admit his feet ached too.

They had walked miles, with no sign of the Tardis. He wouldn't tell Victoria this, but he had begun to lose all hope of finding the old ship.

"Jamie, I just had an idea." Victoria said, her eyes narrowing in thought. "Suppose, because the Tardis says 'Police' on it, someone turned it into the police, not knowing what it really was?"

Jamie smiled. He didn't want to dash her hopes, but he very much doubted it. "Aye... perhaps. Let's try for the police station then." He stood, wincing at the ache in his feet.

"Excuse me, sir," Victoria asked a random man passing by. "But do you happen to know the way to the nearest police station?"

"Yeah," the man nodded. "Three streets down, next to the hospital. You can't miss it."

"Thank you!" Victoria recited in her head what he said. "It's that way." She pointed. "Let's go, Jamie."

Jamie nodded. "Okay."

The two of them walked in silence. Both of them knew they were probably chasing dead ends by now, but it kept them occupied.

Jamie couldn't help thinking the worst. _What if we do nae find the Tardis or the Doctor again? I do nae thing I could adjust tae life in this time. And what about Victoria?_

Victoria grabbed his sleeve, suddenly. "Jamie, look! The Tardis!" She pointed.

About a half a block away, in front of a large building, was the familiar blue sight of the Tardis. It sat next to the truck that had taken it, unfortunately surrounded by soldiers. It was a sight for sore eyes, none the less.

Victoria could almost cry in relief.

"Victoria, we need tae get tae the Tardis. If ye distract them, than I think I can slip past." Jamie said, quickly.

"Okay. I'll try... How?"

"Talked tae them. Tell them that you're lost, and ye need directions or something."

"Okay."

Victoria moved forward toward the guards, tentatively. "Excuse me?" She said to the nearest guard. "Could you help me please?"

The guard turned toward her, smiling. "Of course, Ma'am. What can I do for you?"

The other guards took notice, and Jamie began sneaking toward the Tardis.

"Is this the hospital?"

"Yes it is. Are you lost?"

Jamie was nearly there when one of the guards spotted him and gave a shout.

Two of them instantly turned toward him. Before they could point their guns at him, he shouted "Craig an tuire!" and leaped onto the nearest one. He managed to give the man a good fist to the jaw before they tackled him, pinning him to the ground.

"Jamie!" Victoria shouted in concern.

"Let me go, ye Sasanach!" Jamie shouted, struggling hard. "Ye have nae the right tae keep me here! Fight me like a man, will ye!"

Two people came out of the Tardis, and though Jamie was rather preoccupied, Victoria noticed, and was suddenly captivated by the man. She was certain she had never seen him before, yet he looked familiar somehow.

His eyes widened when he saw them. "Jamie! Victoria!" He excitedly walked to Jamie, motioning for the soldiers to let him go.

Jamie, now released by the soldiers, took a defensive stance.

The man held his hands up in surrender. "Easy there, Jamie. It's me! The Doctor!"

Jamie frowned. If the situation hadn't been so dire, he might have laughed. "Och, I'm nae blind! You're nae the doctor I know."

"I've regenerated."

Jamie's eyes narrowed. "Regena-what now?"

The Doctor imposter frowned. "I never did explain it to you, did I? Well, you see Jamie, when the Doctor dies, his body goes through a process called regeneration. It saves his life, but changes his outward appearance. I come from your far future where this has happened."

Jamie's hard expression didn't change. "I do nae understand."

"I was him, he will be me."

"Who will I be?" Jamie asked, prompting a chuckle out of the girl next to the Doctor Imposter.

Jamie sighed, in frustration. "Och, I do nae understand all this fancy talk. What have ye done with the Doctor?"

"He's inside the hospital." The girl said, motioning to the building.

Jamie finally softened slightly. "Is he injured? If ye have harmed him in anyway..."

"Oh, could you take us to him please?" Victoria asked. "We've been terribly worried ever sense he disappeared."

The Doctor Imposter frowned. "Disappeared?"

"Aye, in a cloud of blue." Jamie said, quickly. "He said something about a teleport or something afore he vanished. Can we see him?"

"I'll show you the way." The girl smiled. She held out a hand. "Martha Jones."

Jamie eyes her suspiciously, but shook it. "Jamie McCrimmon. And that's Victoria Waterfield."

"It's a pleasure." Victoria shook her hand, giving her a smile.

"Come on." Martha walked toward the building, Jamie following.

Victoria paused before following. She looked at the other Doctor. "Are you really him? I mean... our Doctor?"

The Doctor smiled. "Yes, Victoria. I'm the same Doctor that fought the Daleks at your home, and the robot Yeti, but from the future."

Victoria looked him in the eye a moment "I... I don't understand how you can be the same man if you look so different, but I believe you. Even if Jamie doesn't, and it seems impossible." She smiled. "Your eyes are the same as the Doctor's."

The Doctor smiled back, warmly. "Let's go in with the others, okay?"

"Alright." Victoria nodded.

The Doctor wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and together, they walked toward the building.

* * *

AN: The Master in this story is the Delgado Master. He's my favorite. Also, I love Jamie and Victoria's relationship.

The colorblind thing comes from the Day of the Doctor novelization.

Any feedback, good or bad, would be greatly appreciated. Even just a sentence on how you enjoyed it, or anything really.

What will happen? Will Jamie and Victoria recognize Salamander as an imposter? What will happen to the Second Doctor? Who is that third mysterious man helping the Master? Find out next time!


	4. T Baker

AN: I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. Sometimes I begin to lose gusto for a story, and it helps to see other people taking an interest in the story. Let me know what you think of this chapter, or if you find any problems with it.

* * *

Salamander was woken by someone entering the room. Opening his eyes, gently, he saw one of the nurses enter.

"Hello, Doctor." She smiled warmly. "How do you feel?"

"Very well, thank you." He said, slowly. The accent was becoming easier and easier for him. It almost felt natural now.

"We wanted to tell you that we found your friends. They were very worried about you. They said you disappeared. Do you remember what happened?"

Salamander did his best to look confused, which in this moment was not terribly difficult. _Disappeared? The Doctor? How strange..._ "No, I'm afraid not. Are my friends here?"

"Yes. They wanted to see you. Is that okay?"

Inwardly, Salamander cursed. Outwardly, he smiled.

"That would be splended!" He said happily. "I was terribly worried, you know. I had no idea what happened to them."

The nurse smiled. "I'll bring them in." She left the room.

Salamander frowned, thinking hard to remember everything he knew about this incarnation of the Doctor. He didn't get far before the door opened, and the nurse brought in two young people he recognized.

"Jamie! Victoria!" He said, happily, though internally, he loathed the very sight of them. The two young people that had helped the Doctor abandon him in the time vortex. He squinted slightly. The golden energy around them was almost as bright at the Doctor's.

Jamie's face lit up when he saw him.

"Doctor, thank goodness!" Victoria almost seemed to cry for joy.

"We were worried sick about ye, Doctor." Jamie said. "What happened?"

Salamander put his hand to his head as if struggling to remember. "Its hard to say, Jamie. I don't remember much. What do you remember?"

As Jamie began recounting the day's events to the Doctor, Victoria couldn't help feeling as if something were off. The Doctor was acting much more passive than normal and his usually bright eyes seemed to be emotionless. Something was wrong.

Jamie hadn't seemed to notice as he finished. "...and then he told us he was you, but that cannae be true, can it?"

"Fasintating..." The Doctor frowned. "He may be a future regeneration of me, Jamie. He told the truth about regeneration."

Again, an alarm went off in Victoria's mind. The Doctor's hands remained on his lap. They hadn't moved once since they had first seen him. The Doctor was extremely animated, and he would have been moving his hands right and left. It looked to strange to see him so still.

The Doctor's eyes narrowed. "Then again, I don't know what I'll look like in the future. It's quite possible he's a Time Lord imposter trying to gain our trust."

Victoria watched him closely.

"Time Lord?" Jamie asked, confused.

The Doctor seemed to look slightly panicked for a moment before covering it up with calmness. "Nevermind, Jamie. I'll explain it later. In the mean time, I must rest. I'm still not recovered. Tomorrow, we must find a way to get out of here and back to the Tardis."

"Aye..." Victoria noticed that Jamie was beginning to look slightly unsure himself. He spoke slowly. "Well... we'll leave ye then... Come on, Victoria." He took her hand an pulled her from the room.

As soon as they were out of sight, Jamie turned to her, a suspicious look on his face. "The Doctor, if that's even him, is acting verra strange, did ye notice?"

Victoria nodded, frowning. "Do you really think it's not him?"

"Well, if it is, they must've done something tae him, like that hypno-thingy the Doctor has talked about afore. He's nae acting right." Jamie put a hand on his chin. "These other people might be part of it, or they might nae. I do nae ken if we can trust them."

Victoria remembered the way the other Doctor looked at her. "I don't think... I mean, I believe that the other man Is the Doctor, though I don't know how. Jamie, his eyes are the same. He told me about some of our adventures too, like the horrible Dalek creatures and the Cybermen. He told me he remembered it."

Jamie looked uncertain, his confidence wavering. "He... He might be a verra good imposter."

Victoria shook her head. "I know it's the Doctor. We need to trust them."

Jamie didn't reply, looking away.

"Anyway, he rescued you from the guards. I don't know if you'll trust him, but I think we should tell him what we think about the Doctor. I'm going to."

Victoria turned from Jamie, and started toward the other Doctor. She hoped Jamie knew she meant well. She knew how difficult it could be for him to trust people. He had been brought up in an environment of loyalty, and had a natural distrust for anyone he knew nothing about.

The other Doctor was talking to the Brigadier over near the table covered in files.

"Doctor..." Victoria called, gently.

He turned to her, and looked momentarily surprised. "Victoria!" He grinned. "How's the old man doing?"

"That's what I wanted to tell you. Jamie and I... We think something's terribly wrong with the Doctor. He's not acting himself at all. Jamie thinks it's an imposter, but I don't know..."

The Doctor was frowning, his eyes thoughtful. "I thought something was wrong, but it's been so long since I was him that I couldn't tell for sure."

"But if he's not your earlier incarnation, Doctor, where is your earlier incarnation?" The Brigadier asked.

The Doctor frowned. "That's a good question; one I don't have an answer for yet. But if this is an imposter, why wouldn't they try to replicate him exactly, or at least in a way that made sense? His life signs don't show up as anything I've ever seen, and that's saying something. He's not a clone. I'd recognize one a mile a way."

"Do you think maybe he's been brainwashed?" Martha suggested.

"Possibly, but I'm a bit hard to brain wash. Even back then I had strong mental shields." The Doctor rubbed his hands through his hair, making it stick out in all directions.

It was a fact that Victoria had been surpressing a yawn for a while now. She wasn't used to walking so far in one day and she had been up early that morning. She found, suddenly, that she could no longer hold it back and it came out full force, interrupting the conversation.

She blushed slightly. "I'm terribly sorry, but it has been rather a long day for Jamie and I. We followed the Tardis all the way here, and we woke very early this morning."

The Brigadier looked at her watch. "Yes. We're sorry about making you walk. we didn't know you were waiting there. Steinfeld, show these two young people to somewhere they can sleep." She motioned to Victoria, and Jamie, who was now yawning too.

"Yes, ma'am." The soldier motioned to the two of them, and led them to the room across the hall. Victoria didn't even bother taking her shoes off, just sinking down into the bed provided for her. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

* * *

_...bright light. The Doctor. Fighting. The controls. Falling into the never ending vortex, burning him like a thousand acid sins on his shoulders. Screaming, until-..._

Salamander woke, very suddenly. He was sweaty and cold. He took a deep breath calming his breathing. His heart rate began to calm, and he pushed away the awful feeling left over from the nightmare. Looking around, he was surprised to find that even though it was obviously the middle of the night and there were no lights, he could see perfectly well.

He checked himself over, finding that his ribs no longer ached at all, and his wrist was only aching a bit. The burns on his arms and legs were gone.

Now was his chance.

Quickly, he slipped out from under the covers. He looked at the heart monitor for a moment, frowning. Then an idea came to him. Carefully, he slipped around the back of it and pulled the plug from the wall. It instantly lost power, cutting the sound off.

He ripped the monitor from his arm and snuck to the door, opening it only slightly. in the next room, the only people awake were the Doctor and the Brigadier. Salamander watched them, waiting for an opportune moment to slip past.

After what seemed like an eternity, the Doctor said something to the Brigadier, and she nodded. The the Doctor left the room. The Brigadier was studying one of the files, with her back turned to Salamander. Now was his chance.

As quiet as a mouse, Salamander slipped in and snuck to the door. He cast a glance at the young woman, asleep on a cot in the corner. She reminded him of someone...

_"-She took the job because she was hungry. The only problem is now she has so much food she has lost her apatite." Salamander watched after Fariah as she left. He laughed on the inside, knowing he had her under his thumb. Anything he told her to do, she would do, or he would spread that lie about her family._

_He was saddened to hear of her death, but she was working with the rebels. He supposed she deserved it-..._

Salamander felt a sudden strange guilt for how terribly he had treated his assistant. She hadn't deserved what he had done. He frowned. Where was this feeling coming from?

The Brigadier stirred slightly, once again reminding Salamander to continue. Carefully, he slipped out the door. Strange, he thought, that there were no guards outside. He slipped down the hallway, pausing when he reached a dressing room. He thought for a moment and then entered.

As soon as he had aquired a practical outfit, which had taken some time (Really, it shouldn't be that hard to find a pair of shoes that fit!), he poked his head out of the room again. No one seemed to miss him yet. He quickly continued.

Once outside, he saw there were still guards around the Tardis. He ducked behind a shrub, thinking what to do, but before he got far, his thoughts were interrupted.

"Don't be alarmed." A voice said, suddenly.

Salamander whirled around, coming face to face with a man. He had a goatee, and wore all black. He held up his hands in surrender. "I mean you no harm."

"Who are you?" Salamander hissed, no longer trying to hide his accent.

"I'm called the Master. You're known as Ramon Salamander?"

Salamander's eyes narrowed. "How did you know that?"

"I am a Time Lord like the Doctor." The Master said, instead of answering. "But I assure you, I hate him as much as you do. I trust you had an easy escape?"

Salamander watched the man a moment. He had more golden haze around him than anyone else, aside from the Doctor. "You got rid of the guards?"

The Master smiled. "A tissue compressor. I'm sure you understand how it works."

Salamander had a sudden sick feeling. This man had killed to help him escape. He shook the feeling off, telling himself it was necessary.

"I have seen similar devices, yes. Why would you help me? What do you want from me?"

"You wish to capture the Doctor's Tardis and exact revenge, as do I. I can help you. You have aquired some unique abilities in your time in the vortex, that you have only begun to realize. I can help you develop them, and in turn, you can use them to help me."

Salamander stared at the man for a moment. He searched his memory, and sure enough, he saw the Master along side the Doctor in several situations, always against him.

"How can I trust you?" Salamander asked.

"I give you my word."

Salamander inwardly smirked. Word didn't mean much to him, but he couldn't see any reason not to go a long with this man, at least for now. "Alright. I will work with you, on one condition." He found the words coming out of his mouth, as if by their own accord.

"Yes?"

"That no more innocent people are harmed." The words surprised Salamander, but they felt right, so he stood by them.

The Master frowned. "Very well. Come with me."

* * *

The Doctor had managed to get his right hand slightly worked out of the restraint. He had been pulling and twisting it for what felt like hours, and now was nearly free.

"Just... a... bit... farther... There!" he pulled his hand free, and immediately grasped the other restraint, trying to open it.

Almost at that very moment, the door to the room opened, and the Master walked in. He frowned when he saw the Doctor's free hand. "Hmm. It seems the restraints were not tight enough. No matter. I've come to release you."

The Doctor glared at him. "Forgive me if I doubt you."

"Come, Doctor! There's no reason for you to stay chained up like an animal. We just wanted to let you think a while. You're a guest!"

The Master began unfastening the restraints. "Don't try to run," he said, as he finished the last one. "I didn't come without protection." He held up a gun-like device. "Do you recognize this?"

The Doctor shifted, uncomfortably. "Is that a tissue compressor? How brutal."

The Master laughed. "Ah, Doctor! I wish I had gotten to know this incarnation of you better! You make me laugh, something your replacement does so rarely."

The Doctor didn't look amused, only dusting himself off. "So you know fancy pants? That doesn't explain what you are going to do with me. What exactly _are _you going to with me?" He demanded.

"I am inviting you to have tea with me." The Master said. "I would like to talk with you."

"Yes, but my mouth wasn't shackled. Why release me?"

The Master smiled slightly. "No, no, I'll explain over tea. Come along now, after you." He motioned with the gun, and the Doctor did as he wanted, walking infront of him with his hands in the air.

* * *

The Doctor sat in a chair opposite the Master, a table between them. On it were two cups of tea, one untouched, and a plate of crumpets, also untouched.

The Master silently sipped his tea, watching the Doctor closely.

"Why, Doctor, you haven't touched your tea." The Master smiled.

The Doctor sat with his arms folded. "If you think I would accept tea from you, you're not as smart as you appear. How do I know you haven't put any number of things in it? For all I know, it could be poisoned!"

The Master laughed. "There are simpler ways to kill you, Doctor." He took a sip of his tea, and gently set the cup down again.

"Yes, I suppose so, but you still haven't explained why I'm here as you said you would." The Doctor frowned.

"Because, my dear Doctor, you would spoil everything, getting in the way. And besides, that is the way my colleague remembers it."

"Who is this mysterious colleague of yours?"

"Well, I suppose it wouldn't do any harm to introduce you two. I believe you've met before." The Master motioned behind the Doctor.

Standing in the doorway stood an identical figure to the Doctor, albeit with his hair combed to the side and neater clothing on. His face was emotionless, aside from a slight smile on his face.

"Hello, Doctor." Salamander smiled, slightly.

The Doctor stared in disbelief. "...Salamander! But... You were... You fell into the Time Vortex, unprotected! You should have been vaporized!"

Salamander shrugged. "It is strange and unexplained to me as it is to you Doctor, but as I was not, I can now exact revenge for what you did to me."

The Doctor's disbelief turned into a frown, and he clenched his hands into fists, frowning defiantly. "What happened you brought upon yourself. I had nothing to do with your actions!"

Salamander couldn't help feeling a twinge of guilt and regret, and he knew the Doctor was right, but he pushed those feelings away. If the Doctor had not interfered, he never would have been found out, and he could have become world controller.

"No!" He found himself shouting. "You destroyed everything I worked for! For years I worked and slaved, trying to help the people! And what did I get in return, hm? A couple of thank you's and a plaque in my honor! I learned that I must take what I earn, because no one will give to me what I am owed!"

Salamander took a step closer, his voice low and intense. "You have no idea what it is like, Doctor, to live your life as if everything you do is second rate. You go around with your human friends so you can impress them and show them how amazing you are. You have never been anything but the best. In your world, you are all you really think about. Well, Doctor, I had to build that world for myself. I had to work hard to make my way up to where I was. And then you came and destroyed it all!"

Salamander moved close enough to the Doctor that the Time Lord took an uncomfortable step back, his unwavering defiance breaking down. Something about that gave Salamander a thrilling feeling.

"I worked so hard, and you destroyed it! Well, now I will do to you what you did to me!"

Salamander suddenly grasped the Doctor by the collar, pulling him closer. The other man tried to look into his face defiantly, but Salamander could sense fear behind that. He stared into the man's crystally blue eyes, anger seething in his own heart, and he longed to kill him then and there, but instead he roughly let him go, turning away, quickly.

He took a deep breath, and ran his fingers through his hair. The other two were awkwardly silent, the Master silently sipping his tea, and the Doctor breathing hard and staring at Salamander, shocked.

Salamander turned back to the Master, having smoothed his hair and suit. He tucked his shaking hands into this suit pockets. "I will go... check the controls..." He left the room, quickly.

The Doctor stared after the man, his eyes still wide in surprise. When Salaander had toucjed him, he had felt pure hate boiling just under the surface, but rhat wasn't what had bothered him.

He hated to admit it, but he had been genuinely frightened when Salamander advanced on him that way. The man was a freak of nature. He simply shouldn't exist, yet he did, and when Salamander touched him, he felt untold power seething inside him like a caged lion, ready to break out any moment and destroy.

"Well, Doctor? You seem rather quiet."

"Master, do you have any idea what has happened to that man?" The Doctor said in a low voice. He turned to his fellow Time Lord, worry filling him.

The Master laughed. "Why of course, Doctor. That is why I asked him to work with me. That power he holds could help me conquer the entire universe!"

The Doctor frowned, rubbing his hands together nervously. "Yes, of course. I should have guessed. But I still don't understand why you need me!"

"Salamander and I transported you from an earlier time. A time where Salamander was still in the Cardiff Hospital, and your friends needed to believe he was you for a little while. We couldn't have you showing up there and ruining everything, now could we?"

"Now that you have me, what are you going to do with me? Kill me?" The Doctor chuckled mirthlessly.

"Oh, no, of course not, Doctor. You see, one of your other selves has shown up as well. One from far in your future, I believe. He still stands in the way of our plan. We can use you to help us get him out of the way."

"Oh, really? And what plan is that, then?" The Doctor sat, and rested his feet on the table, twiddling his thumbs, nervously. "World domination?"

"Exactly, Doctor. Salamander has helped me to construct a device to control the population of earth. Once it is activated, we can easily take over."

"A very cliche plan, don't you think? My other self will likely see right through it."

The Master laughed. "I doubt that." He stood. "But I'm afraid I will have to bring you back to your cell now." He pointed his Tissue compressor at the Doctor. "Come along."

* * *

Salamander watched the readings on the console. Nothing had changed, and nothing would for a while, but he was trying to distract himself. His outburst at the Doctor had been bothering him. Something about the mixed emotions he had felt. It reminded him-...

_"...-can't put up with all your stupid school!" Brian took another swig. "I never got none of that useless schooling, but I turned out alright! You should make yourself useful for once in your life! Give up your stupid imaginary ideas of being anything more! You'll never be more than a useless bastard child who-..."_

_Ramon's fist hadn't let the man finish the sentence. He stared in surprise at what he had done, looking at the drunk form of Brian, dazed and on the floor._

_"Stop!" Ramon said, feeling much stronger than he ever had before. Being eighteen, now he was strong enough to put up a fight. He knew he could take this old drunkard. "It's because you never got schooling that you're a useless drunkard now! I'm trying not to turn out like you, a stupid abusive drunkard who can't even stand on his own two feet when someone pushes him around. I will never be like you!"_ _Ramon stepped back. "I'm done." Quickly, he grasped his backpack, and ran out the door, never looking back-..._

Salamander leaned on the console. He was beginning to see that he had become everything he hated. His mind was filled with images of his past, and he closed his eyes, trying to push them away.

_I am not like him! I am not like him! _

He repeated this over and over, but the more he did so, the more he was convinced it was wrong. Yes, he had gotten an education, but he had turned out just the same, with no thought for human life, save his own.

"Salamander." The Master entered the room. He paused when he saw Salamander leaning on the console. "You don't look well."

Salamander looked up. "I will be alright. Just a headache." He waived the Master off. "I apologise for my outburst. I do not know what came over me. Did you give him the information?"

"Yes. He thinks he knows our plan. We still must construct the device to help convince them though. I trust you have taken care of leaving your calling card for the other Doctor to find?"

"Si... Yes."

"Good. That should set the false plan in motion. In the meantime, I will see to our real plan."

Salamander nodded, puting a hand on his forehead. His head was throbbing again, with the same splitting pain.

"Perhaps you should rest." The Master suggested. "You will be no use to the operation in that condition."

"Yes, perhaps you are right. I will go lay down." Salamander left the console room, and began walking to his room. He paused as he passed the detention area. After a moment of hesitation, he turned and went inside.

* * *

Jamie woke to commotion. He was out of his bed in a moment. Outside, the UNIT personnel were much more active than they had been.

"What's going on?" He asked the nearest guard.

"The Doctor's gone missing."

"What?!"

Jamie's shout woke Victoria with a start, and she sat up, groggily. "Jamie, what's wrong?"

"The Doctor is gone, if he even was the Doctor..." Jamie clenched his fists. "Och, what good are soldiers if they cannae even watch one man?"

The other Doctor and the Brigadier were walking over to them. When the Doctor saw Jamie he walked faster.

"Jamie, did you hear anything at all last night?" He asked, quickly.

"Nae, I slept like a log..." Jamie frowned as he realized this himself. "Hey, that's strange. Normally, I am a verra light sleeper."

"So two soldiers have gone missing, as well as my previous self, and no one heard so much as a sneeze last night. Not even me, and I was wide awake the whole time." The Doctor frowned. "Very strange."

"Aye." Jamie rested a hand on his chin. "What d'ye suppose happened? Could he 'ave been teleported?"

The Doctor frowned. "There are no traces of anything. Not even a struggle. It's almost like he and the two guards just... walked out."

Jamie sighed, exasperated.

"Doctor..." Victoria pointed at the air behind him.

They all followed her finger to a shimmering blue shape coming into existence. It solidified into a piece of thick paper with messy words scrawled onto it. The blue light vanished, and the paper fell to the floor, gently.

The Doctor quickly picked it up, and read, "Your other self is safe, so long as you do not interfere. Signed, Salamander."

Jamie and Victoria both looked at each other in alarm.

"Then it was nae the Doctor, it was Salamander all along!" Jamie exclaimed.

Victoria was equally alarmed. "Yes, and He's got the real Doctor as a hostage. Oh dear!" She grasped Jamie's arm, standing close to him.

"What do we do?" Martha asked. She understood enough about regeneration to know that if the little black haired Doctor was in trouble, her Doctor was in danger too. If by chance the other one were killed, hers would die too.

The Doctor's face is hard. "We need to get to the Tardis."

"What are ye planning?" Jamie asked.

The Doctor spoke quickly. "If I can scan the area around here for any technology out of its time, temporal anomalies, or non-terrestrial energy sources, I may be able to find them. Salamander would have all sorts of strange energy and timey wimey stuff hanging around him if he just got back from a trip in the Time Vortex. Allons-y!" He dashed down the hall, his long coat flowing out behind him.

Martha followed, and after glancing at each other, Jamie and Victoria followed.

Outside, the Doctor ran to his younger self's Tardis, shoving the key into the keyhole, and going inside. The others followed.

"Will you be able to control this Tardis?" Martha asked.

"Of course! Its the same machine, just the layout is a little different. Piece of cake!"

The Doctor began moving around the contols maniacally, pressing buttons and flipping leavers. He pressed his sonic screwdriver up to one pannel, activating it.

The monitor up on the wall flickered into life, displaying a map of the city as well as the nearby country.

Two dots flickered into existence.

"What are those wee dots on the scanner, Doctor?" Jamie asked, pointing at the screen.

"Those represent temporal anomalies, or in this case, Tardisis." The Doctor explained, still fiddling with the controls.

"But how can there be more than one Tardis?" Jamie asked, frowning.

"My Tardis is parked a few miles away. It and this one will be showing up." The Doctor answered, absently.

"Och, why are there three wee dots, then?"

The Doctor looked up at Jamie, suddenly paying very careful attention. "What?" He looked up at the map. Sure enough, a third dot had appeared a little way away from the others.

The Doctor looked like he had seen a ghost. "Thats impossible..." He looked back down at the controls, messing with them.

"What is it, Doctor?" Martha asked.

"The energy signals are showing up differently from my Tardisis. It's... not the same Tardis." The Doctor's face went white, and his eyes were wide.

They were all silent for a moment. Jamie and Victoria looked at each other, confused.

"Whats wrong with that?" Victoria asked, but her question seemed not to reach anyone's ears.

"So... it's someone else with a Tardis?" Martha asked.

"...Yes."


	5. Davison

"But... You said you were the last of your people, Doctor." Martha said, surprise on her face.

The Doctor looked stunned. "I... I am. It's impossible."

"What does it mean?" Victoria asked, confused.

"Aye!" Jamie agreed.

The Doctor didn't reply, running his hands through his hair. "It can't... unless..." He frowned, but he seemed to be beginning to understand.

"The timelines shouldn't allow it to happen, but my younger self is here. With both of us here, it would create a weak point, and that would enable anyone who knew how to jump timelines..."

The others stared, not understanding.

"What do you mean, Doctor?" Martha asked.

"Whoever it is must come from my younger self's timeline, because they can't exist in mine." He flipped some controls. "I'll try to isolate the vortex energy and bring us there."

Martha and Victoria still looked confused, but Jamie nodded.

"Oh, aye, Doctor." He leaned closer to victoria. "Just nod and act like ye ken what he means," he whispered.

Victoria nodded absently, though she frowned. "I don't understand what's going on, but I'm going to get changed. It's very uncomfortable to sleep in one's clothes."

Jamie shook his head, but Martha agreed. "Could I get a change of clothes too?"

Victoria smiled. "I'll show you the way."

Martha and Victoria left.

Jamie watched the Doctor work. "Can ye fly this thing?" He asked.

"Jamie," The Doctor grinned. "Of course I can. I know I never got where I was going when I was your Doctor, but I've had a lot of practice."

"Ah-ha! So ye really never could pilot the Tardis?" Jamie smiled. This couldn't be his Doctor. Though they all knew it, his Doctor would never admit to not being able to control the Tardis.

The Doctor laughed. "No, I nearly flunked my driver's test."

Jamie frowned, not understanding.

The Doctor waved a hand in dismissal. "Nevermind." He paused a moment, looking at Jamie. "Its good to see you again, Jamie. It's been over five hundred years for me since I was traveling with you."

Jamie frowned further. "Ye said ye were 450 a few weeks ago. That means you're nearly a thousand years old." Jamie's face filled with disbelief. "Are ye immortal, Doctor?" He asked, frustratedly.

The Doctor shook his head. "No. I have thirteen lives, Jamie. Your Doctor was my second life. I'm on my tenth now."

Jamie tried to wrap his head around this, not believing a word of it. "So... there are thirteen of ye?"

"Yes."

Jamie shook his head. He had heard a lot of crazy things but this took the cake. His Doctor talked nonsense sometimes, but never to this scale. "I... How can ye be the Doctor though, My Doctor?"

The Doctor came over to him and rest a hand on his shoulder. "Jamie... I know ita hard to believe, but maybe this will help." He took a deep breath, and began, slowly.

"We met on the Scottish highlands, during the aftermath of the battle of Culloden. You took me, Polly Wright, and Ben Jackson captive. Then we were captured by the redcoats, and I pretended to be German to get out of a hanging. After we escaped the slave traders, your clansmen were off to France, but you offered to help us get back to the Tardis, and ended up coming aboard. Do you remember?"

Jamie stared at the strange man. "How could ye...?"

"Because I'm the same man, Jamie." The Doctor looked into his eyes. "It's still me, Jamie."

Jamie looked at him. Something in him knew. Something knew it was the Doctor. Finally, he relaxed, letting himself believe it. "Okay, Doctor. How are ye going to stop whoever it is that took _My_ Doctor?"

The Doctor grinned and put both hands on Jamie's shoulders. "I knew you'd come round!"

* * *

"How do I look?" Victoria whirled around, showing off the knee-length skirt she had chosen. It had the same tartan Jamie wore on it. On top, she had cute a sweater with the sleeves pushed up to her elbows.

"That looks great!" Martha smiled.

"Thanks. You look good too, though I admit I'm not quite used to the fashion of the future." Victoria smiled back.

"If you don't mind, when do you come from?" Martha asked.

"1866," Victoria responded. Her face fell slightly. "The Doctor and Jamie rescued me from these horrible creatures called Daleks. I traveled with them afterward because... well... My father was killed." She looked down for a moment.

"I'm so sorry..." Martha felt a sick feeling in her stomach. She hadn't meant to bring that up.

"It's alright. It's not your fault. I've had so much more to think about though since I joined in their travels. The Doctor watches over me like I'm his own, and Jamie keeps an eye on both of us." Victoria smiled.

"Are you and Jamie..." Martha ventured.

Victoria blushed slightly. "Oh, no. I mean, I know he cares for me, and I certainly care for him, but... it just wouldn't work. Between you and me, I think he sees me as a sister, and besides, we're from different times, he and I. He comes from 1746, and the battle of Culloden. He's trained for adventure and battle, and I prefer peace and quiet. He comes from over a hundred years before me." She frowned slightly but then smiled. "Sometimes I forget that."

Martha smiled.

"Enough about me. What about you, Martha? How did you meet the Doctor?"

"It's a long story. I worked at a hospital, and one day it was taken by aliens. The Doctor showed up out of nowhere and fixed it all. It sounds crazy, I know."

Victoria laughed. "After everything I've seen, nothing surprises me anymore."

Martha laughed. "Yeah, me too. Speaking of the Doctor, why don't we go see what he and Jamie are up too?"

"Alright."

* * *

Salamander stayed in the doorway a moment, looking into the gloom of the detention block. In the nearest cell sat his double, surrounded by the golden strands of energy, as he now called it for lack of a better phrase. The Master hadn't seen fit to put the Doctor back in the restraints it seemed, as the little man was seated on the bench in the cell, playing a gentle tune on his recorder. The sound hit Salamander's ears like fingernails on a chalkboard, but he didn't react, only observing the little man, and the bright gold around him.

The Doctor paused in his playing for a moment. "Are you coming in, Salamander, or will you stand there all day?" He said, an eyebrow raising.

Salamander frowned. He should leave.

His feet moved closer to the cell, as if of their own accord.

The Doctor's dark eyes followed his movements, and for some strange reason, Salamander felt threatened. It was all too similar to-...

_"Welcome to the TARDIS." His double stared back, his features frozen, and his eyes burning with a quiet rage, and wisdom beyond his years. Those eyes... they sent an awful chill down his spine._ _They seemed to be staring into his soul, seeing his every secret. Those eyes made him want to shrink back and beg for mercy. As opposed to earlier when they were kind and gentle, full of laughter, now they were dark and brooding, like a silent god passing judgment._

_Ramon__ smiled slightly, putting on his air of cool confidence, in spite of the overwhelming feeling washing over him._

_"Thank you. You were doing so well impersonating me, I thought I would return the compliment."_

_The Doctor stared back, his strange eyes narrowing, and becoming icy cold, sending a shiver down Ramon's spine-..._

"Are... are you quite alright?"

Salamander was yanked from the vision as the Doctor approached him from inside the cell. There was confused concern on his face.

Salamander took a quick breath and stepped back. "I..." He felt suddenly angry. "I don't need your sympathy. There is nothing wrong with me."

The Doctor's eyes narrowed, but he didn't push the matter. "Why are you here?" He asked. "Come to gloat? Or have you changed your mind about keeping me alive?"

_Kill the Doctor? _Once again, Salamander was bombarded with memories and images-...

_"And now I'm going to kill you." __He said as he shoved the Doctor against the console. His face, his hauntingly familiar face, only twisted into a slight smile. It chilled Ramon's bones-..._

Salamander clutched his head, gasping.

The Doctor stood back, a frown on his face. After a moment, he spoke slowly. "Something happened to you in the Vortex, Salamander. Something impossible, that no one in the universe has ever survived. What happened to you? Do you feel different?"

Salamander closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he opened them. "I... There is golden... energy..."

The Doctor looked interested. "Yes... go on..."

Salamander frowned, closing his eyes again. "I see it everywhere, but most clearly around people. It seems to flow in strands around them, some short and others long... I do not understand it. It is particularly vibrant around you, Doctor..." His eyes opened. "So many bright strands wrapping around you... Some short, and some impossibly long..." Salamander looked at the Doctor a moment, frustration in his eyes. "It is driving me mad! What does it mean?" He clutched his head in frustration. "What does it mean?"

The Doctor looked at him, thoughtfully. "It... I don't know, but it seems to me... Its almost as if you've developed the ability to sense timelines, something only my people have the ability to do... Who knows what other side effects you could have from the vortex..."

Salamander looked at the Doctor. "Timelines?"

"All the possible paths a person could choose, and their ends."

"Your people... Do you see it too?"

The Doctor smiled slightly. "My people have the ability to perceive them, but not actually see them. And even then it requires concentration and certain conditions. It seems you have a much more heightened ability to sense it... its very fascinating..."

Salamander looked at the man smiling warmly back at him. "You understand it? Could you help me?"

"I can try." The Doctor motioned to the bars. "These might make it a little difficult though... I don't suppose you could let me out, could you? We can go back to my friends, and I'll do everything in my power to help you."

Salamander felt sudden ice fill his heart, and his face suddenly grew hard. "Let you out? Is that all you wanted? You were not trying to help, only escape?" His voice rose in anger. "You think you can use me like that, hm? Well, you are wrong!" He turned, and quickly left the room, angrily.

The Doctor watched after him, surprise on his face. After a moment, he sighed, moving back to the bench and pulling his recorder out of his pocket again.

* * *

"Brigadier!"

The brigadier turned to face the young man saluting to her. "At ease, Private. What is it?"

"Ma'am, there's been a break-in at the tower. Two men. One was wounded"

"What? How?"

"We don't know, ma'am. They just... appeared, and then disappeared."

"Was anything stolen?"

"Only one thing, Ma'am, from the Archives." The young man handed her a file.

Her eyes widened when she saw what was inside. "Private, are you certain?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Then things have become much more dire. I must speak with the Doctor immediately." She saluted the young man, who mirrored her, and swiftly marched out of the room.

* * *

Jamie paced back and forth, restlessly. He paused waiving a hand in frustration. "Och, Doctor, why is it taking so long?" He frowned.

The Doctor glanced up at him from the controls. "Patience. This isn't as easy as it looks." The Doctor returned to his fiddling, and Jamie sighed, returning to his pacing.

The Scotsman hated to think that the Doctor, his Doctor, had been gone for nearly twenty-four hours now. Who knows what they could be doing to him? He paused again. "Are ye sure ye cannae work faster?" He asked.

The Doctor didn't look up. "I'd work faster if you didn't keep interrupting me." He said, plainly.

Jamie took the hint and stayed quiet. He moved to the chair that sat near the console and sat down, but he couldn't get comfortable. "Is there anything I can do tae help?" He asked after a moment.

The Doctor simply paused, looking at him with a frown.

Jamie frowned. "Right. Sorry." He tapped his fingers nervously on the arm of the chair.

After what seemed to stretch out for hours, the Doctor straightened up. "There, that should do it."

Jamie stood up. "Now what?"

"Now I can bring the Tardis to the approximate location of this energy source. That should bring us within about a half-mile of it."

Jamie frowned. "Can ye nae do better than that?" He asked.

The Doctor patted his shoulder. "'Fraid not."

There was a knock at the door. "Doctor?"

The Doctor flipped a switch on the console, and the doors opened. The brigadier entered, only looking taken aback for a moment. "There you are. We've had a change in circumstances."

"Oh?"

"You are no doubt aware that in Unit's Archives, we hold the only known time travel device other than your tardis, a vortex manipulator."

The Doctor chuckled. "It's hardly time travel, but yes, I knew about it."

The Brigadier frowned. "It's been stolen."

The Doctor looked suddenly surprised. "What?"

"Someone managed to slip into headquarters undetected and steal it from right under our noses."

The Doctor frowned. "But why... why would they need a vortex manipulator if they have a Tardis?"

Jamie had a sudden thought. "If it is Salamander, he always tries tae have a backup plan. Maybe he doesnae trust whoever he's working with?"

The Doctor looked at Jamie. "Yes, that would make sense." He turned to the brigadier. "I've discovered another Tardis in the area. We were about to go investigate when you brought us this news."

The brigadier nodded. "I'll stay here in case you need help. You know how to contact us?"

The Doctor smiled. "Same as always."

"Very good. Good luck."

The Doctor nodded, and the Brigadier disappeared out the door.

"D'ye think it was Salamander?" Jamie asked.

"Probably. It's been a long time, but I do remember he was one to have multiple exit strategies if needed."

With that, the Time Lord began working the controls, and the Tardis central Column began rising and falling as the ship took off. In a few moments, it landed again, the familiar sound of the machine's engines filling the space around them.

"Where are we?" Jamie asked.

"Looks like we're by the seaside." The Doctor motioned to the scanner. "And a lot of warehouses. Pretty cliche if you ask me. Let's get the girls and take a look outside."

"We're already here." Martha and Victoria came from the hallway door. "Have we landed?"

"Yup." The Doctor said. "Let's take a look." He dashed to the door, the others following him.


	6. C Baker

Salamander gasped in pain, his senses reeling as the pain in his arm overwhelmed them. His vision was blurry and his chest felt tight. His blood was roaring in his ears, nearly as loud as the roar of the vortex. He-...

_"You were useful to me once. You are not useful anymore." He aimed the revolver and fired, watching with satisfaction as Kent doubled over in pain and-..._

"Salamander!" The master's voice seemed urgent. Salamander tried desperately to listen, but he felt as if he were under water-...

_...-Air. He desperately needed air! He flailed his arms and tried desperately to reach the surface of the water. His lungs burned and screamed for precious air-..._

"...alamader! Can you hear me?"

Salamander became suddenly aware of himself. His eyes flickered open. The Master was kneeling over him, a frown on his face. "Wh... What happened?" Salamander managed to croak out.

The Master pulled back. "You were shot by a guard, unfortunately. It seems your body couldn't handle the stress, and you fell unconscious for a moment due to shock. I was concern you may give in to it and, shall we say... Expire. I'm not used to dealing with Human biology."

Salamander blinked, trying to get his sight to clear. Shot? That would explain the pain in his arm and shoulder, but it seemed wrong. He had been shot before, and it hadn't hurt in this way...

"I would suggest you go to the medical bay. I'd rather not have your blood staining my Tardis floor."

Salamander struggled to pull himself to his feet, his head swimming. His good arm buckled under the strain, making him fall back to the floor painfully. "I... I will need your assistance."

The Master frowned. "Very well." He moved to Salamander's side and helped him to stand, and Salamander couldn't help noticing how rigid the man felt when he touched him. He slowly led Salamander forward, through the hall. "You should have allowed me to conduct our business alone. I could have been more efficient, and you would still be functioning to your full capacity."

Salamander shook his head, wincing in pain and closing his eyes. His breathing was labored, and his speech strained. "I do not... trust you _that _much, Master... How do I know you would not double-cross me... by sabotaging it? Or maybe you would... simply take it yourself, hm?"

"You forget, I have my own Time Travel capsule. I wouldn't need that monstrosity. You're the one that wanted it after all." The Master pushed the door to the medical bay open with his foot, and all but dragged Salamander in, setting him on one of the beds. Salamander collapsed on to it, his strength completely gone.

"_Si_... I suppose you are right..." He clenched his teeth. "Where is it?"

"Here." The Master took the device out of his pocket, tossing it on the bed next to Salamander. "There you are. Now, I've kept my side of our bargain. I expect you to follow through with yours."

Salamander frowned. "Alright, alright..." He hissed as the Master pulled his sleeve over the injury, not even trying to be gentle. "I will do what you want... Careful, _por favor._"

The Master frowned but seemed to work a little more gently. He finished removing Salamander's shirt, and looked over the wound, emotionlessly. "You are not in any immediate danger. The bullets went completely through, and missed your lung and major arteries." He quickly cleaned the wound, once again prompting Salamander to hiss in pain. "Please try not to flinch. That will make this harder."

Salamander couldn't help noticing that the Master seemed to be avoiding touching him as much as possible, as he wrapped the white bandages around his arm and shoulder. He tried to let it go, knowing that was just the way the Master was, but a strange feeling entered him, telling him it was significant.

The Master finished with the bandages and stood. "I must return to the console room. Can you manage?"

Salamander winced but nodded. "_Si_... Yes..."

"Very well. Humans are far too fragile." He looked at Salamander, no emotion on his face. "Your body will likely need rest, especially if you still want to be of any use." He turned and left the room.

Salamander couldn't find the strength to move at first but managed to heave himself to a sitting position. He picked up the Vortex Manipulator from the bed next to him. A strange sense of security filled him as he looked at it. With this, he was in control. He was safe. He would never be trapped again. Though he winced in pain as he laid back down, he knew the injuries were worth it. The small device he slipped under his pillow was the most valuable thing in the universe to him.

* * *

The Doctor whipped put his Sonic screwdriver and began scanning the area.

"What's that now?" Jamie asked, pointing toward the sonic screwdriver.

The Doctor turned toward him. "Oh, this? Sonic screwdriver. Never fails... Well, almost never."

Jamie frowned. "Aye, that makes it perfectly clear." He said sarcastically. "Och, but Doctor, what does it do?"

The Doctor couldn't help grinning. "Oh, Jamie McCrimmon, I've missed your frowny face." He said.

Jamie's face filled with confusion.

The Doctor continued. "I'm using the screwdriver to scan the area. The Tardis, or at least this version of it, doesn't have a very accurate navigational system."

Jamie couldn't help lightening up at that. "Aye, ye can say that again."

"Where are we?" Victoria asked.

"Near the seaside. You can smell the salt on the air." The Doctor pointed the Sonic in a particular direction. "It's this way. Allons-y!" He rushed off, following the signal, Jamie running behind him.

"Is he always like this?" Victoria asked Martha.

Martha chuckled. "Yeah, mostly. Come on."

The two of them followed more slowly.

Around them were several warehouse buildings, mostly abandon. There was junk of all sorts scattered around and an over all eerie feeling about the place.

Victoria was quiet. The truth was, she was terribly worried about the Doctor. _Her _Doctor. The funny little man with the recorder and the baggy clothes. They hadn't even seen him for over twenty-four hours now.

"Seems just the spot for an evil plan of some sort. Bit cliché if you ask me." Martha remarked, trying to lighten the mood.

Victoria smiled but it fell quickly.

"You're worried about him, aren't you. I mean your Doctor."

Victoria nodded.

"I've never met your version of him, but if he's anything like my Doctor, I'm sure he's safe. I'll bet he's escaped by now and has messed up their whole plan, who ever they are." Martha laughed.

Victoria laughed with her, but it died quickly. "Yes, I suppose so. But... I don't know. We've met Salamander before. He nearly killed the Doctor, and knowing him, he will be terribly angry with him now. I'm afraid, If he has the Doctor, he might have... Might have..." She looked away, unable to hold back the tears any longer.

Martha put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't talk like that. He can't have. My Doctor's proof of that, right? Your's is from the Doctors past. If he died, so would mine, and he's alright, see?"

Martha motioned to the Doctor and Jamie ahead of them, inspecting everything. The Doctor moved quickly and full of energy, talking to Jamie, animatedly.

Victoria felt a little better. "I suppose so. It's just... the Doctor has become like family for me. I know I don't have it as bad, though." She watched Jamie helping the Doctor. "Jamie lost more than a father before meeting the Doctor. He lost everyone. The Doctor is all he has left. If he lost the Doctor too... I don't know what would happen..."

Martha squeezed her shoulder gently. "Don't worry. We'll think of something. Or My Doctor will."

Victoria didn't feel any better, but she smiled anyway.

"Let's join them, okay?" Martha asked.

Victoria nodded, and together they followed the Time Lord and the Scotsman.

* * *

Salamander had no idea how long he slept. When he woke the first thing he noticed was the lack of pain in his shoulder. His eyes opened suddenly at that, and he groggily inspected himself. He saw that he had, at some point, bled through the bandages, but he could feel no pain now.

Carefully, he removed the bandage on his arm, and gasped. The wound was gone, leaving no trace it had ever existed, aside from the bloodied bandage. He tore the bandage from his shoulder to find the same thing. Both injuries were completely healed.

Salamander stood, walking to the mirror on the far wall, and inspecting himself. Along with the bullet wounds, any trace of the injuries he sustained during his time in the Vortex and just before were gone. On further inspection, he found even the scar on his chest he had received as a young boy was gone.

He stared at himself for a long moment. He remembered what the Doctor had said to him. Something _had _happened to him. Something extremely strange. And it scared him.

* * *

"Oh, we've lost them!" Victoria groaned, as they saw the Doctor and Jamie disappear around a bend. "Why do they have to walk so fast?"

Martha laughed. "My Doctor's always that way. Does your Doctor ever do that?"

Victoria smiled slightly. "Yes, I suppose so. Only sometimes though. He's much shorter than yours."

Martha nodded, understanding. She was about to say how her Doctor always seemed to be in a hurry, but a distant cry of "Creig an túir!" interrupted her thoughts.

"What was that?" She asked.

Victoria looked at her in alarm. "That's Jamie's battle cry! They must be in trouble! Come on!" She ran after the sound, Martha following her.

Victoria stopped short when she turned around the corner.

Martha quickly saw why.

Standing around the corner was a man dressed all in black. He had a black goatee and black hair that was graying slightly. He held in his hand a device, pointed at the two of them.

Before Martha could react, a high pitched sound came from the device. She suddenly found that her head was wracked with skull splitting pain. she clutched her hands to her head, and felt herself collapsing. Shortly before losing consciousness, she heard someone scream.

* * *

Jamie followed the Doctor closely, noticing with a growing frustration that the girls were getting further and further behind. The Doctor didn't seem to mind, continuing quickly onward.

"Och, Doctor, do nae you think we should wait a wee moment for the girls to catch up? I cannae even see them anymore."

The Doctor seemed almost startled for a moment when he spoke. "Oh... Yes, of course." He stopped, only to begin pacing back and forth in the small ally between the two warehouses where they stood.

Jamie sighed. He wondered if it was physically possible for this Doctor to hold still, even for a moment.

The Doctor was muttering something quietly. Jamie decided to try and listen.

"... If there is a Tardis, it could be hiding anywhere, as anything... I've gotten out of practice tracking time vessel traces..."

Jamie stopped listening when he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned, suddenly, seeing a man standing a few meters away. The same man who had bumped into the Doctor in the street!

"Hello, Doctor." The man said.

The Doctor turned, suddenly, in surprise, and was too shocked to say a word as the man lifted a device and aimed it at the Time Lord.

Seeing it was up to him, Jamie dashed forward with his knife, shouting "Creig an túir!"

The man pressed a button, just before Jamie attacked, sending a high, piercing sound through the air. The Doctor cried out in pain before collapsing onto the ground.

Jamie, already on a collision course, slammed into the man, knocking the two of them to the ground. Jamie fought to stay awake, as the man shoved him away. He had to protect the Doctor! He had to!

"Doctor..." He gasped, before descending into darkness.

* * *

Victoria woke in a cold white room. She had a throbbing headache, but it was fading quickly. She sat up, blinking, and found she was not alone in the room. Martha lay unconscious on another bed, as well as Jamie on a third.

"Jamie. Martha." She said. "Wake up."

Martha stirred, blinking. "What... what happened?"

Jamie didn't respond, still unconscious.

"I don't know exactly. We've been brought somewhere."

Victoria moved to Jamie's side.

"This looks like the inside of your Doctor's TARDIS..." Martha said, after a moment.

Victoria looked up, surprise on her face. After a moment's observation, she said, "You're right... But why would we be on the TARDIS?"

"The Doctor said whoever it is we were looking for also had a TARDIS. Maybe this is it." Martha ran a hand over the wall.

Jamie groaned in pain and stirred, drawing Victoria's full attention.

"Jamie, are you alright?"

His eyes blinked open. "Victoria...? What happened? Where are we?" His eyes widened. "Where's the Doctor?"

"We don't know." Victoria said, worriedly. "He wasn't here when we woke."

"And I'm afraid you will not be seeing him for quite a while."

The new voice caused the three captives to turn suddenly. Standing outside the cell was the man in black they had encountered in the street the day before, and had seen moments before falling unconscious. He smiled slightly as if satisfied.

"Who are ye? Where is the Doctor?" Jamie demanded.

"You needn't worry yourselves about the Doctor. He's in excellent hands." The man chuckled. "To answer your first question, I am the Master. Welcome to my Tardis."

* * *

Sorry this chapter has taken so long to write. I've been a bit busy lately. hopefully I'll be able to update more often now though.


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